


As a Family

by graysonsflight



Series: Lost and Found [22]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, Young Justice - All Media Types
Genre: Batboys, Batfamily, Canon Typical Danger, Gen, Trying to be family, some talk of pervious death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-26
Updated: 2020-04-26
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,929
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23864512
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/graysonsflight/pseuds/graysonsflight
Summary: When Dick and Jason return to Gotham, the city isn’t as they’d left it. Their family isn’t as they’d left it. Now they have to navigate these new dynamics with the people they left behind, and new family who arrived while they were gone. It’s not always fun, it isn’t always pretty. But for family, you do what needs to be done.
Relationships: Barbara Gordon & Jason Todd, Dick Grayson & Damian Wayne, Tim Drake & Jason Todd
Series: Lost and Found [22]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/58469
Comments: 14
Kudos: 76





	As a Family

**Author's Note:**

> As per usual - this is a part of my Lost and Found universe - but you don't need to read all that to enjoy this: the idea is that Dick and Jason have returned and in the universe - Dick wasn't there when Damian first joined the bats - this would be their first time alone. This story was made possible by beta by comity (Thank you to dottie_wan_kenobi, sElkieNight60, and batboycentra. And to millenniumrobin who gets suckered into writing my summaries)

Tim was anxious. He had been thinking about this night all week. Barbara had assured him hundreds, if not thousands of times, that partnering up with Jason Todd for patrol was not going to be an issue. And if for some reason it became _an issue_ , she was only a message away. Tim knew that Barbara, and Dick for that matter, had vouched for Jason. Bruce hadn’t really been thrilled by the idea, but even he had given in. And none of them would ever go out of their way to put him in any kind of danger – at least not danger he couldn’t handle.

Slowly, Tim tilted his head to study the older boy crouching beside him. They were on a stakeout, in charge of monitoring everyone who came and went at _The_ _Sunset Lounge_. It was a cakewalk of a mission and Tim knew it. In fact, he was pretty sure there wasn’t a real reason for them to be doing reconnaissance here and that Barbara had made up something innocuous as an excuse to throw the two of them together. It was a quiet night. Which was dangerous, because Tim had a million questions he wanted to ask and wasn’t sure which ones Jason would be willing to answer and which would get him _literally_ kicked off the roof.

He had already started three conversations in his head; he had followed them through to their likely conclusions. He was pretty sure all three of them ended with him being punched. And he really didn’t want to be hit. Seriously, what were you supposed to say to the guy whose hologram you'd already had countless conversations with, like a headstone in a graveyard? The Jason in his head had not been _nearly_ as angry as the real life one.

“You don’t like me,” Tim finally blurted, knowing the second it left his mouth that _that_ had not really been the introduction he’d been going for.

“ _You_ don’t know me,” the older boy retorted, not even taking the binoculars from his eyes.

“Actually,” Tim started, freezing as Jason finally did turn to look at him. “I… I do. I know all about you.”

“Oh yeah?” he countered, his large hands coming together so he could crack his knuckles. “You read my file, Timmy? You read everything the old man has written down?”

Tim was shaken a little, like he knew he was supposed to be. The thing with his hands had been Jason trying to intimidate him – and Tim _was_ intimidated by him – but it had nothing to do with his size. This wasn’t the Jason Todd he’d been told about. He wasn’t the fifteen-year-old boy from Dick and Barbara’s stories. He hadn’t thought they’d be friends right away, of course, but this was...

“No. I mean yes, of course I did but –”

“But what?” Jason hissed. “You think you found something he didn’t? You figure out what makes me _tick_? Listen kid, you have no idea who –”

“They used to tell me stories about you,” Tim announced, mentally kicking himself. He actually _was_ pretty sure he knew some of the pieces that made Jason Todd _tick._ The guy had grown up on the streets of Gotham, his mother slowly dying in front of him for most of his life, either from the cancer or the opiates she’d been prescribed to help deal with the pain. He’d been eleven when Bruce had taken him in and he had been so _angr_ y –

“Earth to Red Robin or whatever you call yourself,” Jason said, snapping his fingers in front of Tim’s eyes, bringing him back out of his head.

“Sorry,” Tim muttered. “Sorry, I do that sometimes.”

“Whatever. Who’s been telling you stories about me?”

“Dick mostly,” he started, stumbling over the words as he could feel Jason glaring at him through his mask. “Well, he used to anyway, just a little, if you caught him at the right time.”

“He tell you how _not_ to get killed?”

“Mostly just stories of you two growing up,” Tim said, ignoring Jason’s flippant reference to his own death. “He used to tell me about training, and how many times you tried to dislocate his shoulder.”

“I did more than just _try_ ,” Jason scoffed, his voice too close to amusement to be menacing.

“And how much better you always were with the cars and bikes and stuff.”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“And sometimes,” Tim continued, already too far in to back down. “Sometimes, when he’d get really tired, he’d accidently slip up, and call me your name. And then he’d spend the next fifteen minutes apologizing.” Jason’s short bark of laughter filled the space between them.

“Yeah, that sounds like Dick.”

“Hey, I’ve been wondering about something.”

“You do that a lot, don’t you?” Jason asked, but his tone didn’t sound as annoyed this time.

“What’s your favorite kind of jelly?”

“Is that some kind of weird euphemism?”

“No, seriously,” Tim said, holding his hands up in front of him. “What kind of jelly do you like on your peanut butter sandwiches?” When Jason continued to stare him down like he was crazy, Tim plowed on. “It’s raspberry, isn’t it?”

“How could you possibly –”

“I thought so. See when I’d forget to eat, Dick would always bring me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with raspberry jelly. But the thing is, I hate raspberry. I think he was trying extra hard to take care of me – because he felt like he didn’t do enough to take care of you.” Jason didn’t say anything, he just sat there, his eyes boring holes into Tim.

There were a lot of other things that Tim wished he could say. He wished he could ask about the things that Jason had been through – but he knew perfectly well that he was _not_ on the list of Jason Todd’s confidants.

“What else do you know?” Jason asked finally, voice low. Tim felt like an injured animal being circled by a wolf. “Come on, you said you know me. What. Else.”

“I could…” Tim started, his heart drumming in his chest. “I could always get Barbara to tell me stories.”

“And what did she have to say?”

“She used to tell me about Dick, from when they were younger – and a lot of times you were there too. She told me about the time you got suspended from school because you’d beaten up a couple of guys.”

“They deserved it,” Jason interrupted.

“I know. She said they’d been picking on Dick pretty bad – and that because there was no logical reason Dick Grayson would know how to defend himself… you just got tired of watching it and you snapped.”

“It was after the second time they’d done it…” Jason said, his jaw clenched so tightly, Tim _knew_ he wasn’t supposed to have heard him speak.

“She says you’ve always stood up for other people – that you were a really good guy.”

“Yeah well,” Jason said, tilting his head from side to side before lifting his red helmet off. “That’s Barbie for you, rose tinted glasses and everything.”

“Yeah see, that’s not the Barbara I know,” Tim said. Mentally, he filed away the name _Barbie_. He had never heard anyone else refer to Barbara like that before – just like he’d never pegged her for an optimist.

“What’d you mean?” Jason asked, looking confused even with his red domino mask over his eyes.

“Look, Babs is brilliant and fiercely loyal, but I’d never say she went out of her way to find the good in others. If you’re getting praise from her, you earned it.”

“Mmm,” Jason hummed skeptically, one eyebrow raised.

Tim watched Jason’s huge shoulders relax. When he wasn’t scowling or trying to physically intimidate him, Tim could almost see the version of Jason that Dick knew. The one who had worn an apron and cooked breakfast with Alfred on Sunday mornings.

“I don’t know a lot about how she was when she was younger, but now at least she is always trying to think through every possible thing that could ever go wrong. It’s like she needs to have all of the answers before anyone even gets a chance to ask any of the questions.”

“Like you?” Jason asked.

“A little, I guess,” Tim conceded. “But I’m also just innately curious.”

“Right,” Jason said, the annoyance slipping back into his voice. “Curious. So you gonna ask?”

Tim could see him trying to bring back the same angry asshole he’d been when they’d started the night, but now? Now that Tim had seen through it, the guy just seemed exhausted.

“Uh… about what?” Tim asked, genuinely confused. There were just so many questions he wanted answered that he couldn’t possibly figure out which one –

“What it’s like to die?” Jason interrupted, his voice a low steel. “To be brought back?” Tim shifted away from him unconsciously.

“I… _no_ …”

“But you’re curious?” Jason prodded.

“I mean of course I am – but I do understand boundaries and – ”

“And a part of you is just hoping we’re gonna become friends and I’m gonna work it into conversation so you can just _know_.”

Tim breathed in slowly, trying to see just how far back he could move without it being too obvious. As of this second, all it would take was a good lunge and Jason would be close enough to grab him. He edged his hand closer to the smoke pellets in his utility belt, an escape plan forming in his mind.

“It sucked,” Jason snapped, but he had turned away from Tim. While his body was coiled tightly, Tim noticed the change. Now, instead of the predator, Jason Todd was the prey. And whatever hunted him – Tim knew he _didn’t_ want to see that.

“Everything hurt,” the older boy murmured, sounding lost. “Until I lost consciousness, and then everything hurt again when it came back.”

“You don’t have to,” Tim whispered, his hands moving back in front of him, slowly just in case sudden movements were going to be an issue.

“Oh, I know I don’t have to, but you’re already convinced you know me. Why not take this part too?” Jason turned toward him and Tim was struck with the idea that the older boy wasn’t looking at him, but through him.

“For the first couple of weeks after the Pit, I didn’t know who I was. It felt like there was a voice just screaming in my head all of the time. It wouldn’t let up, wouldn’t let me sleep – took me awhile to figure out that…” he said. “That was me.”

Tim swallowed hard. This was more than he had expected – more than even he wanted.

“Eventually,” Jason continued, “who I was started to come back and there is _nothing_ like reliving childhood trauma to make you feel like you’re going crazy.”

“I’m… I’m sorry,” Tim stammered. “I didn’t mean…”

“You done being curious?” Jason bit out. “You don’t want to know that sometimes I get the privilege of battling myself for control? That sometimes… _sometimes_ death is just so pissed off that she didn’t get to keep me, she tries to _control_ me instead?”

Tim watched, speechless as the man in front of him shook. He watched as Jason Todd lost tiny pieces of himself to the darkness inside. There wasn’t anything he could say to make it better, but silence was too much. It made Tim feel like death was reaching out her icy fingers to pull at his strings too.

“Jason, I didn’t think…”

“Probably a first for you, huh?” Jason laughed quietly. He moved to stand, his hands coming up to scrub against his face in a way that reminded Tim very much of Dick, before pulling a pack of cigarettes and a lighter from his pocket. “It’s fine. Just remember where curiosity can get people.”

Tim wanted to say more, but the heaviness of the moment had passed and he knew that he was no longer interested in looking down this particular rabbit hole. Fortunately, a large group of rather seedy looking individuals took that moment to come pouring out the front door of the lounge.

“All right, Timmy,” Jason said, puffing on his now lit cigarette. “Tell me about these pleasant looking scumbags.”

And Tim happily launched into every possible detail he could recall about each and every one of them, grateful for the opportunity to prove that his curious nature did have its upsides as well.

**BEFORE:**

Jason looked at his phone for what was probably the twentieth time in as many minutes. Barbara had texted him, reminding him very simply that he was “on tonight with Tim.” It was a bad idea. Everything about it was a bad idea. Jason knew it wasn’t the kid’s fault, but he was pretty sure that he hated him, at the very least hated what he stood for. And it had been a rough week; Jason wasn’t sure he could handle some cushy stakeout where he’d be expected to sit still and not throttle a teammate.

He reached over for his shiny new comm link, lighter, and an open pack of cigarettes, taking them with him out onto the fire escape of his apartment. Before he could think too much about it, he fit the piece into his ear and signaled for Barbara.

“Barbie,” he said, lighting a cigarette. “We need to talk.”

“Oracle speaking, if you’re looking for Barbara, might I suggest calling her cellphone?”

“You mad at me already?” he laughed.

“No,” she said with a sigh. “Just trying to get you used to following _some_ rules.” He could hear the way she rolled her eyes at him.

“It’s not likely. But fine, _Oracle_ , I need you to take me off patrol with the kid.”

“You’re not on with _the kid_ ,” she quipped. “Nightwing is. You’re on with Red Robin.”

“Babs, he’s like twelve.”

“Oracle. And he’s eighteen.” Her voice sounded tired, like she almost didn’t believe what she was saying either.

“Nope, I don’t buy that,” Jason said, flicking the ash from his cigarette.

“It doesn’t matter. I need the two of you watching _The Sunset Lounge_ over by the docks. He can help you identify all the new players.” Jason knew that this kind of stakeout was arguably a one-person job, which Barbara would obviously know, confirming his suspicions of this being a made up task.

“ _Barbie…”_

“Oracle,” she hummed, effectively cutting off his perfectly planned whine.

“Whatever. _Oracle_ , look, it’s not safe.” Jason finished his cigarette, putting it out on the railing before dropping it into the can at his feet. After a long pause, in which he’d noticed the constant streaming of typing on the other end had stopped, he heard Barbara sigh.

“What are you talking about? The two of you will be up on a rooftop away from – ”

“ _He’s_ not safe Babs,” Jason said finally. “ _I’m_ not safe for him.”

“ _Jay_ ,” she whispered, breaking her own rules. “Do you trust me?”

“I thought it was Red Hood?” he snarked, rather than answering her question. Because he wanted to – he wanted to trust her, but he knew himself a little too well.

“Answer the question, smartass.”

“Of course I do,” he sighed, bringing his empty hands up to scrub at his face. “I’ve always trusted _you_ , Barbie, I just don’t – ”

“Hush,” she said, cutting him off. “In the time that you’ve been back in Gotham, how many times have you snapped?”

Jason didn’t love the term _snapped_ , but he closed his eyes to think all the same.

“I haven’t,” he said finally. “But – ”

“Listen, I talked with Dick after you told me about your _side effects_.”

“Oh, so the two of you are talking again?” Jason asked, trying to laugh, distract her a little maybe.

“No. Don’t interrupt me. He told me that in all the time you two were together, he only saw it twice – and in only one of those instances did he have a hard time pulling you back.”

Jason considered her words, his memory working to check the validity of Dick’s claim. He cursed under his breath.

“So you’re willing to take a fifty-fifty shot on the replacement’s life?” he asked, hands moving for the lighter in his pocket.

“ _Tim is not your replacement_ ,” Barbara said, her voice strong and clear. “You were not replaced. He is a good fighter, but more importantly, Jason, _you_ are a good man.”

“Just because I haven’t killed anyone recently, does not make me a good man, Barbie.” While he appreciated her confidence, Jason didn’t make a habit of lying to himself.

“No, but getting up everyday and doing the best you can? That _does_.”

He seriously wondered if he really was doing _the best_ he could, but Jason could admit it felt good to have someone else thinking he was.

“Listen,” Barbara continued, “you and Tim are going to need to learn to work together – to trust each other and the only way to build that relationship is to actually try.” Jason looked out over the city before him. Less than a year ago he would have said he was never coming back to this place and yet… _here he was._

“Fine,” he said with a sigh. “What do I need to know?”

“Well for starters,” Barbara said with a snort, “know that he has already read every scrap of information available on you.”

“ _Great.”_

“He read it when he first became Robin,” Barbara said, sounding a little protective. “And then he read it again when you came back home. Hell, he probably read it all a _third_ time when I assigned you two as partners for tonight, just in case he missed something the first two times. Which, trust me, he did not.”

“Christ,” Jason breathed. “So what you’re really saying is that the kid freakin’ stalked me?”

“He just…” Barbara started, the protectiveness back in her voice. “He just wants to know everything.”

“So he’s like you?” Jason asked.

“And he’ll probably ask you questions and try and get you to talk with him,” she said, ignoring him. “He wants you to like him.”

“Chatty, like Dick,” Jason offered, finally deciding that _yes,_ he was going to need another cigarette.

“And despite all evidence to the contrary – his life hasn’t been a breeze,” Barbara continued as if he hadn’t spoken. “He desperately wants to prove himself. His transition with Damian hasn’t been easy; he’s feeling a little angry right now because he feels like he’s been replaced. Just like – ”

“Yeah,” Jason said, cutting her off. He didn’t want to hear the rest of the sentence, didn’t want a connection between them. “I got it, Barbie.”

“Jay?” She said his name, her voice soft, affectionate. “Be gentle with him. He’s probably going to drive you crazy, but he means well.”

“Fine,” he sighed dramatically. “But I am not going to promise I won’t punch him.” Her laughter on the other end startled him, but it was nice, even if he was pretty sure she was laughing _at_ him.

“You’d have to catch him first. He’s expecting you in three hours. Don’t be late. Oracle over and out.”

Jason heard the hum of machines die out in his ear, a slight smile on his face. He didn’t know if he could manage being a _good_ man – but for tonight at least – he’d try to be an okay one.

**On the Other Side of Gotham:**

Dick took a deep breath, filling his lungs with the familiar smells of Gotham in the spring. Slowly, he ran his fingers over the new upgrades to his uniform; the added panels of ultra flex Kevlar weave were probably his favorite. While the range of motion he’d had overseas had been nice, the new scars from knife-wielding thugs were less fun. He was just starting to enjoy the familiar old Gotham sounds around him when his partner for the evening sighed, clearly exasperated.

“So you really are it, aren’t you?”

Dick turned his head towards the angry little creature in a hood standing beside him.

“What now?” he asked, trying to smile.

“You’re the original,” Damian, the newest Robin, all but growled. “My father’s first prototype.”

“That’s a strange way to talk about people,” Dick said, his smile wavered as the kid started to walk around him. Dick got the very clear impression that he was being sized up.

“You’re smaller than I thought you’d be.”

Dick tried very, _very_ hard not to make a joke about that one, reminding himself that the kid wasn’t quite eleven yet.

“Right,” he managed. “You know this isn’t the first time you’ve seen me right?”

“I am aware you’ve been in my presence before.”

“Then what are you doing?” Dick asked, still trying to keep his tone light.

“I’ve never been alone with you before,” Damian answered as though it were obvious.

Dick raised an eyebrow at that. He was right – before now, there had always been at least one other person in the room. He stood up a little taller and let his own eyes move over the bundle of emotion in front of him. Damian looked like both of his parents: his father’s strong, stubborn jaw and piercing blue eyes, his mother’s haughty air of superiority and self-righteousness. Dick was not a fan of Talia al Ghul, but he was determined not to hold that against Damian.

Barbara had told him about the kid, through messaging mostly as they weren’t doing a whole lot of speaking at the moment.

She had said that his mother had done everything in her power to raise the child to be the perfect, obedient little assassin. Her goal had been to raise Damian to be what Bruce would not be – loyal to the al Ghul family. But Talia hadn’t appreciated it much when her son’s questioning nature had turned on her. When Damian had shown himself to be unyielding to her whims, Talia had shipped him over to Bruce, hoping he’d learn more discipline _or something_.

Apparently it had worked out better than Talia had actually wanted because now the kid seemed dedicated to a new cause – _his father’s_ – and was no longer interested in being a good little pawn for the League of Assassins.

According to Babs, Damian was now borderline obsessed with proving his worthiness to Bruce. _That_ Dick could sympathize with. He shook himself when he realized that the kid was still talking to him – well _at him_ really.

“Physically speaking,” he said, sounding way older than he really was, “the other one is better suited for this job.”

“The other one?” Dick asked. “You mean Jason?”

“ _The Red Hood_ ,” Damian hissed. “No names in the field, _Nightwing._ You really are out of practice, aren’t you?”

“You sure you’re only ten?”

“My age is irrelevant. I am perfectly qualified for this position,” he huffed, his arms crossing petulantly over his small frame. “I have been training to take over this role since before I could walk. And when I _do_ finally take my birthright, I intend to do away with this absurd tradition of taking in strays.” Disdain dripped from every word that fell from the kid’s mouth, but Dick only smiled. Barbara had wanted Dick to work on softening out some of Damian’s sharper edges. He had his work cut out for him.

“Kid,” he laughed, “are you always this friendly, or am I just lucky?”

“Oracle warned me about you,” Damian launched back, starting to prowl around him again.

“Did she now?” Dick asked, curious. “And what did the almighty Oracle have to say?”

“She _claims_ that you’re a good tactical thinker. That you move quickly and decisively in a fight, and that last she knew, your computer skills were adequate – although she claims that Dra – _Red Robin’s_ are superior, so you can’t be all that good.”

Dick considered this – actually pretty impressed that Babs had managed to say that many nice things about him, given well, _everything_.

“That sounds about right,” he conceded, trying his hardest not to sound bitter. Just thinking about Babs for too long made his chest start to ache. Instead, he thought back to the other things she had warned _him_ about. She had said that the kid was razor sharp and prone to excessive force. It was why she was avoiding sending him out alone with Jason for as long as possible. And Dick also knew she was avoiding that because Jason had a nasty habit of reminding Damian that he had slept with his mother. Dick really couldn’t blame the kid for being angry about that one.

“Furthermore,” Damian continued, pausing in his movements. “There’s a lot that she didn’t say as well.”

“Oh yeah?” Dick asked, humoring him. “Like what?”

“That you’re emotional.” Damian said the word with obvious disgust. “That you think with your heart far too often. You’re soft and refuse to make the hard decisions. I’ve seen your tattoo – so I question your ability to follow even the most basic of orders. But above all,” and here he paused for some kind of dramatic effect. Dick found himself leaning in despite himself. “You’re a coward.”

“And _how_ did you arrive at all of these conclusions?” Dick asked, laughing to hide the fact that Damian’s words had stung.

“I read your file of course.” _Of course_. “More importantly,” Damian continued, “I was able to fill in the blanks. My father and Oracle may trust you, but I most certainly do not.”

Dick let the pronouncement hang in the air between them. There were a few things missing from Damian’s rather clinical assessment. There was no mention of his issues with anxiety – but of course there was no way either Bruce or Barbara would know that he was only _mostly_ keeping that in check right now. Jason was the only one who was aware – and he certainly wouldn’t be telling the others.

And so what if the nightmares were back? All of them had their demons and anyway, they only happened when he was alone – and so far he was handling it just fine. Besides, he knew that even in _this_ family that kind of information was never written down in a file; it was committed to memory and then never talked about. If you could still function normally enough, they all had the tendency to let the trauma slide.

“Well,” Dick said, pulling his body up from a crouch. “Coward or not, I’m still in charge for the night.” He heard the kid scoffing from behind his back. “And we’ve got a job to do.”

“I am well aware of our job. Oracle briefed me. We’re going into the warehouse, taking pictures of the operation, and then reporting back. It’s hardly a two person task.”

Dick knew the kid was right. Normally, this would be a simple in and out – but Barbara had been looking for an excuse to send the two of them out together, and this was the best she could find.

“That’s true,” Dick conceded. “But there’s been a lot more movement here tonight then we expected, so stay sharp.”

“Please,” Damian sneered, his arms dropping down to his sides. “As it is, I’m probably here to make sure _you_ don’t endanger this mission. Batman and Oracle have been gathering information from the outside for the past two weeks.”

Dick didn’t have the energy to correct the kid. If that was what he needed to think in order to do his job, so be it. He followed the kid from one shadow to another, eyes and ears open to the possibility of danger. Without communicating, Dick watched as Damian worked the lock on the window. He had to admit that the kid was good; he had cracked it open faster than Dick probably could have.

“Nice,” he whispered, lifting the pane up for the kid to slip under.

“Please, that lock was made by armatures – save your praise for something worthy.” _Right_. Dick sighed heavily as he pushed his body through the opening.

“Keep your eyes peeled for – ”

“I am aware of what I’m doing _Nightwing_.”

“I know just –” Dick stopped, his body going rigid as a soft _click_ reached his ears. Damian opened his mouth, about to say something, but Dick waved him off. “ _Shh shh_. Don’t move.”

Slowly, Dick let his eyes track around the room. They were in the office, papers and files spread out over the single desk, a knee-high safe pressed against the back corner and…something he didn’t want to see...

“Robin,” he said carefully. “Don’t move your feet.”

“What?”

“Look to your right, carefully.” The small boy turned his head as instructed. Dick could see his eyes go wide as he saw it. On the wall opposite the safe, there was a pair of now blinking red lights. In the moonlight coming from the window, they could just make out a thin black cord leading from the lights to the rug beneath Damian’s feet. “It looks like a pressure sensor.”

“I know what it looks like,” Damian hissed. And for the first time that night, he really was a ten-year-old boy. Dick can feel his heart break as he watched him try and pretend he wasn’t scared.

“It’s going to be fine,” he promised, already trying to make sure it would be. “Robin, about how much do you weigh?”

“Why is that – ?”

“Never mind,” Dick replied, carefully moving around the carpet as he made his way to the desk. He tried lifting it, but it was too awkward in his grasp. With a heavy sigh, Dick moved to the small safe. “This’ll have to do.” Dick slipped his fingers beneath the safe, bending his knees, and lifting it up from the ground.

“What are you doing?” Damian demanded. Dick could see the way he fought to remain still.

“We’re going to have to _Raiders of the Lost Ark_ this, but don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.”

“What on earth is _Raiders of the Lost Ark?_ ” Damian demanded, his fists tight by his side as Dick made his way over.

“It’s a…” Dick paused. “ _It’s a movie, one of B’s favorites_. What have they been teaching you?”

“Is this really the time for some inane pop culture reference?”

“It’s not…” Dick started, and then paused. The safe in his arms was growing heavy. “Listen, I need you to crouch down and shift your weight to the balls of your feet. I’m going to knock you off the rug and I’m going to need you to tuck and roll. Can you do that?”

“ _This_ is your plan?” Damian sputtered, gesturing to the safe. “Oracle said you were smart but I am seriously doubting her judgment at the moment.” So was Dick, but right now, it was the best chance they were going to get.

“Ready?” he asked, shifting the weight of the safe.

“I’m going to die here,” the kid muttered under his breath, but he crouched down all the same.

“Three, two, _one_ ,” Dick counted, shifting the safe so he could knock Damian forward with his shoulder and sink the heavy steel box into his place. Without waiting to see if it worked, Dick lunged forward, pulling Damian up by his hood and over to the far wall, using his body to cover the kid’s. “You okay?” he asked, his heart racing.

“Are you using your body to shield me in the event of an explosion?”

“Uh…” Dick loosened his hold on the kid. “I am.”

“You’re aware I’m just as likely to be impaled _through_ you, yes?” Dick shook his head, peeling them both off the wall.

“Come on, we need to get out of here, that probably triggered an alarm as well.” He moved them over to the window, holding it up again so that Damian could get out first. They both made their way from the warehouse, not a word between them as two black SUVs came screaming through the fence, confirming Dick’s suspicions on silent alarms.

They didn’t stop moving until they were back in the city proper, Dick allowing Damian to lead them back to the top of the Wayne Tower building.

“Nightwing” Robin said, finally turning to look at him. “You tried to shield me.”

“Of course I did,” Dick replied. He could tell the kid was evaluating him again. “I know you think it wouldn’t have worked but –”

“Why?” he asked, interrupting. Dick took the time to stare back.

“Well for one thing,” he started. “We’re a team. And for another, like it or not, you’re my little brother, and I take that pretty seriously.” He stood as still as he could, smiling as Damian eyed him suspiciously.

“It was…” he tried, “admirable.”

Dick laughed, his smile growing wider. He was pretty sure the little guy had just tried to say _thank you_. He was absolutely Bruce’s kid.

“I do what I can,” Dick said, reaching out to ruffle the kid’s hair. Damian may have rolled his eyes at the contact, but to his credit, he didn’t pull away. Apparently, tonight signaled an improvement.

“So,” Dick started, trying to check a hunch. “What do you think about grabbing some ice cream before we head back to the manor?”

“I…” Robin faltered, his boots skidding to a halt. “Are you trying to bribe me with treats, like some child?”

“No, I just happen to be craving some mint chocolate chip, and thought maybe you’d want to tag along.” Dick watched as the now less-angry little gremlin beside him considered his options.

“I suppose I could indulge this once.”

“That’s the spirit,” Dick laughed, smiling as he watched the kid relax further. “You’ve gotta try the Rocky Road at the de la Vega’s shop.” Damian stopped in his tracks, his face twisted in disgust.

“I will not be consuming gravel, Grayson.”

“No, no,” Dick laughed. “It’s just a flavor. How many have you tried before?”

“Flavors?” Damian asked. “Father prefers sorbet. And I refuse to try the coffee-flavored nonsense that both Gordon and Drake consume. They’re both addicts.”

Dick smiled, content in the knowledge that while he had missed a lot in this kid’s time with the family, he would at least get to expose him to the joys of ice cream flavors. He also had to stop himself from pointing out Damian’s use of names in the field. There might be a chance for this relationship yet.

When they were talking again, he’d have to thank Barbara for setting this up. He wasn’t sure he could have gotten close enough to the kid on his own. She might still be mad at him, but she was still trying to help.

Damian continued to talk to him, at least a little, as they made their way to the bodega. They were clipped sentences – mostly about how Dick could improve in his position as Nightwing, and offerings to help him with his training. He knew better than to take it personally and was actually pretty entertained at the idea of spending more time with the newest Robin. He’d been given yet another _second chance_ and this time, Dick would go out of his way to put the kid first. Despite his emotions and his sometimes-questionable ability to follow orders, he’d do better. At ten years old, the kid had already lived through enough; Dick would go to hell and back to keep Damian’s name off the list of people he had failed to keep safe.

**Author's Note:**

> So - I know some of you have been doing some waiting for reactions to their return :) (For like... a couple of years... I know, I'm sorry) I know this wasn't RIGHT after but hopefully it helped. Thank you all so much for your feedback and support.


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